FOXBOROUGH – Aaron Dobson was cool and collected during his introductory
press conference with the New England media. His answers came easily and
were mostly predictable.

Then, a few minutes into the proceedings, he was asked about the man
he would be catching passes from after the New England Patriots selected him
with the 59th overall pick in Friday's NFL Draft.

"Oh man," the former Marshall wide receiver said with a gasp. "That right
there ... you can't beat that. The best quarterback in the league. It's just
amazing. I've been watching him for so long."

The hope is that Dobson can be the first "X" receiver to make
Brady gasp since Randy Moss, another Marshall product, was traded away during
the 2010 season.

He has the tools to be that player. His size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) and
speed (4.33 40-yard dash) suggest that he possesses the ability to push the
safeties down the field and open up the middle of the field for Danny Amendola,
Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. He also features a set of hands that didn't
drop a pass during his senior season, something that Dobson said he takes a
great deal of pride in.

Those combination of skills, paired with his athleticism, have allowed
Dobson to put together more impressive highlight reels on YouTube, which
includes a backhand catch against East Carolina's Rakeem Cato that was named
one of ESPN's top plays of the year in 2011.

One reporter cracked that he "Mossed" the defensive back, but Dobson was
quick separate himself from that assessment after allowing himself a laugh.

"I'm just trying to come in and make my own name," he said.

And that may be the best approach. While Dobson looks the part, NFL
Network analyst Mike Mayock notes that he's raw and still has a lot of learning
to do after operating out of a simple offense at Marshall.

In some ways, Dobson echoed that sentiment by stating that he showed
growth through each of his college seasons, which culminated in him catching 57
passes for 679 yards with three touchdowns as a senior. Statistically speaking,
Dobson's junior season, where he caught 49 passes for 668 yards and 12
touchdowns, was actually superior.

As far as what caused his yards per reception to drop form his junior to
senior seasons, Dobson said he wasn't sure and couldn't pinpoint one thing.

"I was just trying to help my team win," he said.

Now the Patriots will see what he do to help them win. His combination of
speed, athleticism and potential makes it easy to see why coach Bill Belichick
coveted him. And those points weren't lost on those who make their living
evaluating the draft.

"I think he could end up a better NFL player than he was a college player," Mayock said.